Judge postpones History Village code violation hearing

Posted: Saturday, May 06, 2000

By Jim ThompsonAssistant Metro Editor

Representatives of the History Village hotel huddled Friday morning with Athens-Clarke County government officials in an attempt to avert a court battle over what a fire safety officer called ''hundreds'' of safety and sanitation violations at the now-shuttered East Dougherty Street complex.

Abdul Khan and Mohammad Balagam of History Village were in Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court early Friday morning with Atlanta attorney Bruce Hedrick to answer a citation issued Thursday by the marshal's office.

The owner of the property, listed in county tax records as Mohammed Siraj Ghaffar, was out of the country Friday, according to Hedrick.

The citation, covering alleged violations of unspecified local fire code and '' life safety'' ordinances, apparently covers what Steve Bolin, a fire safety officer with the county, said Thursday were ''hundreds'' of violations covering electrical problems, fire safety issues and sanitation problems.

The meeting between hotel representatives and county officials came after Municipal Court Judge Ethelyn Simpson, at Hedrick's request, rescheduled arraignment -- a formal reading of charges and entry of a plea -- for 9 a.m. May 12.

Simpson suggested the meeting after noting that the citations, had, in fact, been issued only the day before the court session.

The group of county and hotel representatives met in a conference room one floor above the City Hall courtroom, but neither county officials nor Hedrick were available for comment later in the day.

Telephone calls to Hedrick's office, the marshal's office and building inspections office were not returned.

But in a comment from the bench Friday, Simpson provided a hint of the seriousness of the alleged code violations.

Commenting on her decision for a quick rescheduling of arraignment, she said, ''My concern is the magnitude of the problem.''

Government officials -- from the marshal's office, the fire department, the building inspection department and the Athens-Clarke attorney's office -- were at the hotel for much of the day Thursday placing placards declaring its several buildings unsafe for occupancy.

People in the estimated eight to 10 rooms occupied Thursday -- a mix of long-term and short-term residents -- were ordered to be out of the complex by 5 p.m. Thursday.

In court Friday, Simpson told Khan and Balagam to board up the hotel buildings as quickly as possible.

''We just want to make sure the building is secure,'' she said.

If History Village representatives opt to plead not guilty at the May 12 arraignment, the case will come to trial at 9 a.m. June 2 in Municipal Court.

Following Friday's court proceedings, Mayor Doc Eldridge said the government's attention became focused on the History Village complex following two weekend ice storms earlier this year.

Eldridge said his office fielded a few complaints from local residents who sought temporary quarters at History Village when electrical service to their homes was cut as a result of the storms.